


Overstimulated

by ArtsyYoyo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/F, Fluff, Highly sensitive yachi, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Reading to Each Other, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Yachi is very gay for shimizu, but seriously who isn't, like I went for maximum SOFT, the struggles of being an HSP, training summer camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-11-02 02:40:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20593988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtsyYoyo/pseuds/ArtsyYoyo
Summary: "It was the first night of the training camp.Everything, was calm.Everything except for Yachi’s heartbeat. Everything except Yachi’s head. Everything, everyone, except for Yachi herself."In which Yachi is a Highly Sensitive Person and it's hard to deal with during a bustling summer camp... Luckily Shimizu is there with her.





	Overstimulated

**Author's Note:**

> This is written based on my own experiences and struggles with being HSP. Also I love KiyoYachi and they deserve the word!!  
I hope you like it! <3  
Big shout-out to @neomints for beta-reading!!!!! <3

It was the first night of the training camp.

It was a peaceful night, one of those summer nights where you leave the window open to prevent the room from getting too hot and because of that, hear those nightly sounds: the hooting of owls, the croaking of frogs, the low rumble of an occasional car passing by and the screeching of a cat.

The moon shone bright and her light flooded through the blinds which waved slightly from a small summer breeze. The soft glow illuminated the faces of the sleeping volleyball managers. 

Sheets were mostly tossed aside because of the heat.  
Everything was calm...  
Chests went up and down in steady breathing.  
Everything was calm...  
Only a soft snoring could be heard aside from the sounds coming in through the window.   
Everything, was calm.

Everything except for Yachi’s heartbeat. Everything except Yachi’s head. Everything, everyone, except for Yachi herself.

She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling. Her head was buzzing. Attack formations, kill blocks, soft blocks, service aces and chants of ‘nice spike!’ ‘don’t mind!’ and ‘one more!’ echoed through her skull. She sighed quietly.   
She was exhausted from the first day of the training camp but the chaotic memories and thoughts in her mind kept her wide awake and the unknown place where she had to sleep, made her heart pound. 

She tried to take deep breaths to calm down her heart, but only the exhales would reduce her heartbeat by a bit. Inhaling brought it back up to its previous fast-paced tempo.

She tried to empty her head by thinking of a movie she had recently seen or a book she had recently read, but it was no use. In sheer despair she even tried counting the woodboards on the ceiling, without any success.

And whenever she did succeed in dozing off a bit, a soft snore or a girl shifting next to her was enough to wake her up again. It was already -or still- 2 o'clock in the morning and she hadn’t been able to slumber for more than a few minutes at most.

“This is no use,” she thought to herself and sat up straight on her futon. Her sheets glided off of her and she looked around at the other girls. They were all asleep so peacefully. They all looked so beautiful under the soft glow of the moon. She was happy they were there with her, but also envious that they could be this relaxed after such an eventful day. 

Different thoughts started to flood her mind...   
‘Why can’t I just be normal for once?’   
‘Why can’t I react like everyone else?’   
‘I’m the only one making a big deal out of this.’   
‘This shouldn’t be a big deal, it’s just a training camp.’   
‘Today has been so much fun.’   
‘Everyone has been super nice here but then why…’   
‘Why can’t I just relax!?’

She started getting angry at herself, gripping the sheets tightly in her fists, tears threatened to fall from her eyes. She hated this part of herself. She hated the fact that she got exhausted by social interactions, she hated the fact she couldn’t stand a lot of noise, she hated the fact that she got scared easily, that she overthought everything, that stuff she couldn’t process kept buzzing in her mind, that she got so overwhelmed so quickly, ...

She had thought maybe by joining the volleyball team all of this would get better. Maybe by encountering more exciting and stressful situations, she would get better at handling them…

She shook her head. She wasn’t thinking rationally anymore. This wasn’t her thinking, this was the exhaustion taking over her mind. After wiping her eyes and taking a few more deep breaths, she started getting up.

She removed the sheets from her as quietly as she could and fumbled in the dark for her phone. She felt it and grabbed for it but dropped it again on the wooden floor due to her weak grasp. She winced at the sudden thud and to her dismay she heard a sniffle at her right.

She held her breath. She waited… but heard nothing else and released her breath. Her eyes darted over the sleeping faces of the managers but rested on one girl in particular. 

Shimizu lay closest to her and she looked almost angelic. Yachi studied the way her hair lay spread out on her pillow in waves of black silk. Her hand lay next to her cheek in a relaxed fist and her mouth was slightly open. Long black lashes rested on her cheek.

During the day, she looked calm, calculated and mature. Now she looked soft, gentle and innocent.

Yachi had to restrain herself with all her might to not reach out and caress Shimizu’s beauty mark. 

This was another reason she couldn't calm down.

Since the first week as a manager, Yachi had fallen head over heels in love with the older girl. Shimizu was pretty and kind and she had taught her everything she needed to know about the volleyball club with the greatest patience. 

However, she could also be sassy and charismatic and really everything Yachi wasn't. 

The first year really looked up to her senpai. Yet, during the last few weeks, that admiration had soon evolved into adoration. 

Yachi felt safe and happy with her.

She felt excited every time the other would touch her shoulder or their fingers would brush together.  
She felt comfortable and nervous at the same time, if that made any sense.

Interacting with her plus all the volleyball stuff going on around her had really drained Yachi's energy completely. 

She sighed again and got up completely this time. She tiptoed to the door and entered the dark hallway. Clicking on the flashlight on her phone, she started her way down the hall. 

Snoring could be heard from the various rooms where the boys were sleeping soundly. She peeked her head around the corner into the first room, curiously. 

It was Fukurodani’s apparently. She could clearly make out their ace in the middle of the pile of sleeping bodies. Bokuto was completely spread out on his futon and Akaashi had become a victim to the other's limbs. One arm and one leg were draped over Akaashi's sleeping figure who didn't seem to mind.

Yachi chuckled at the sight, she wasn't surprised honestly. She had felt some kind of connection between the two teammates. Seeing how they got along, they were joined at the hip.

She turned around and continued on to the other room. The red jersey's thrown around the floor told her this was the room Nekoma stayed in. 

The first boy to catch her eye, was Lev. Giving how tall he was, he was pretty hard to overlook. He lay on his side and hugged a pillow to his chest. Their libero, Yaku, lay on the futon next to him and their heads were turned towards each other and their feet were touching. Lev was so tall and Yaku so small that they would perfectly fit together like two puzzle pieces the way they lay there.

Yachi's eyes glided towards the very end of the room, where she could see a mop of black hair. His back was turned towards her so she couldn't really make out the boy's face. Even so, she knew who he was. 

“The scary captain, most likely,” she thought, getting chills.

She was about to leave the room when Kuroo shifted. A mop of blond hair, desperately in need of a touch-up at the roots, became visible behind his shoulder. Apparently, the team captain, the mischievous rooster-head as Hinata would say, was tenderly spooning his quiet and timid setter close to his chest.

With another shift she could see them snuggling even closer towards each other and with that she found her cue to leave.

She hurriedly turned around and left the room.

"I probably wasn't supposed to see that," she muttered cupping her cheeks with her back to the doorway. "I most definitely wasn't supposed to see that!!"

Flustered by the intimacy of the teammates she walked towards the next room. A thought of her and Shimizu in a similar situation crept inside her mind and she shook her head to get rid of it. 

"No, no, no!" 

She couldn't.

In the next room, she recognized her own team and for a second time that night, her cheeks flushed a bright red.

Near the entrance lay the three third years. Their futons were put nicely next to each other but eventually the three boys had ended up sharing just one. 

Asahi and Suga were draped across Daichi's chest. The tall ace with his head above the captain's head and the setter with his cheek on Daichi's collarbone. Their legs were tangled together and their fingers intertwined. Their chests went up and down in unison.

Suga suddenly untangled himself and turned on his other side so that his back was now facing the other two. Yachi saw Daichi frown in the dark. He groaned and felt around for the other boy who had suddenly disappeared from his grasp.

The flailing woke up Suga for a bit. Yachi squeaked and flung herself out of sight. She cautiously peeked in again. Suga drowsily turned around to his previous position, gave Daichi a sloppy yet reassuring kiss on the cheek and blacked out again as if nothing had happened.

She blinked a few times and her heart beat like crazy. Was she the only one who didn’t know about them?? What more was she not aware of??

She was shocked or ‘shook’ like Tanaka and Nishinoya would say. She saw the three boys getting comfortable again and their breath evened out.

She threw another glance through the room and spotted Hinata and Kageyama. She snorted and slapped a hand in front of her mouth.

Hinata seemed just as energetic in his sleep as he was on the court. His sheets were completely tossed to the side and even his pillow couldn’t escape his tossing and turning. His limbs were totally starfished across the futon and he had managed to completely turn upside down. This resulted into Kageyama getting a foot in his face.

The fellow first-year sighed fondly. They sure were goofballs. She wanted to turn around and continue her way to the cafeteria when she felt a touch on her back.

Her shoulders tightened up, her lips parted in a yelp but a palm on her mouth silenced it. She turned around and looked into the soft blue eyes of her manager senpai.

“Sh-Sh-Shimizu-senpai?!” she whispered underneath delicate fingers which made her voice come out muffled. Shimizu put a finger in front of her lips and removed her other hand from the girls mouth. 

“Wh-what are you doing up?” the blonde asked baffled.

Shimizu smiled. “I could ask you the same thing.” Her voice was low and quiet and almost right beside her ear. It made Yachi’s head spin.

“I- I couldn’t sleep,” she answered sheepishly.

Shimizu just nodded and thought for a bit. Then she grabbed the first-year’s hand and led Yachi to the cafeteria.

Once there, she put on the lights and Yachi squinted at the sudden brightness. Shimizu went to the kitchen and started rummaging about, leaving a confused Yachi in the doorway.

“Shimizu-senpai?” she called out, her voice at normal volume again. She heard clinking of cups, the running of water, and the thumping of cupboard doors.

Slowly, she walked towards the kitchen and saw Shimizu with her back at her. A kettle was on the stove and two mugs beside her.

“What are you doing?” Yachi asked taking her place beside her senpai. 

“Drinking tea helps me when I can’t sleep,” Shimizu said eyeing the kettle. She turned her head towards Yachi.

“It always makes me sleepy,” and she smiled and Yachi blushed, again.

Shimizu was making her tea, because she’s concerned about her? Should she mention that tea isn’t really effective when Yachi is like this? Would that be rude, especially since her senpai had already set everything up?

She shook her head and the kettle whistled.

Shimizu poured the hot water in the mugs and put in the teabags.

“How many?” she asked then.

“What?”

“Shimizu giggled, “How many sugars do you take?”

“Ow!” God she was stupid. “Just one, thank you!” 

She took the tea and even though the air was still really hot, the warm mug in her hand felt comforting, grounding even.

They made their way to one of the tables and sat down next to each other. An unanswered question popped into Yachi’s head after a few sips.

“Eum, senpai?” Shimizu hummed in response.

“Why, eum, are you awake?” the taller girl let out a small sigh and put down her mug.

“Well, I heard you get up and, well, since you weren’t coming back I thought I might as well take a look if everything was alright”

Yachi gaped at the raven-haired girl. 

“Oh my goodness!! I’m so sorry for waking you up please forgive me!!” and she bowed her head.

Shimizu let out a laugh and put her hand on Yachi’s back. 

“Don’t worry about it! I’m a light sleeper when I’m not at home so it couldn’t be helped.” 

Yachi raised her hazel eyes to meet blue ones. They looked a lot darker than in natural light, she noticed.

“Even after all these years I’m still giddy when I have to sleep at someone else’s place. It’s a little pathetic really.” And her hand dropped from the younger’s back.

Yachi wanted that hand to stay there longer, she didn’t want to see the girl she admired and loved so much talking bad about herself. She, herself was way more pathetic than her.

She had never gone to parties before because she was scared. She had never gone to amusement parks before because she was sacred. She had never been to anything before that scared her.

“I’m an HSP…” Yachi started. Shimizu blinked in confusion.

“What..-” “It means I’m a Highly Sensitive Person.” She averted her eyes and stared at her mug.

She should probably stop talking now. People didn’t like hearing about her condition, if you could even call it that. She didn’t call it a condition. It wasn’t serious enough to call it one. It was just something that made her life suck, that made her feel weak, that made feel her different from others.

But for some reason… she didn’t stop talking…

“It’s increased sensitivity of the central nervous system and it leads to being more easily overwhelmed by external and internal stimuli like noise and hunger and... stuff...” Yachi trailed off.

The sentence sounded practised because it was. She had heard her mom use it countless of times to explain what was wrong with her daughter. 

“It differs from HSP to HSP but for me it means that I get drained very quickly by social interaction, I get scared easily and I’m very nervous in new situations and environments. I get extra nervous and anxious when I don’t know exactly what will happen in these new situations... So basically when I can’t prepare myself mentally and physically.”

She took a sip of her tea, hoping it would hydrate her dry throat.

“I’m also bad with pain, can’t even stand a high five that is delivered a little too hard.” She snickered softly but without any humour.

“After an eventful day my head keeps buzzing and keeps trying to process all the things that happened. At home it’s easy for me to wind down and relax but here it’s a little harder.”

She turned her gaze back to her senpai who looked at her with big eyes.

“That’s why I can’t sleep,” she concluded with a sad smile. “So I’m afraid the tea isn’t going to really work.”

She looked back at her cup and traced the rim with her pointer finger. It was quiet for a few seconds. 

Her heartbeat began to speed up and a wave of anxiety washed over her. She wrapped her hands tightly around her mug and squeezed her eyes shut.

Did she scare her senpai? Maybe she had made her uncomfortable? Why did she need to start babbling about? People don’t like hearing about you, remember? Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupi-

A sudden pressure on her back startled her out of her thoughts. Her eyes fluttered open. The warmth of a palm seeped through her shirt as she looked up. 

Warm, blue eyes blinked down at her. Shimizu’s lips were pulled into a soft smile. Not the reaction Yachi expected.

“I don’t fully grasp what you’re going through, I’ve, sadly, never heard of being an HSP before…” She fell quiet for a bit.

“But if there’s anything I can do to help you out,” she continued. “Please tell me.”

Yachi didn’t know what to say. She opened her mouth and closed it again. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

No one had ever offered to help her in such a genuine way. Most people didn’t understand it, but neither did Shimizu! And yet… She was there for her.

Yachi rubbed her eyes and smiled weakly.

“I don’t really know if you can do anything. At home, winding down just… happens. I don’t need to put any special effort into it. But I really appreciate it, senpai.” 

She sought for anything else to say.

“Maybe you should go ba-” “What do you do at home to relax?” Shimizu interrupted her.

The first-year was baffled but answered the question anyways.

“I, eum, after a really rough day I mostly listen to audiobooks? The people who read those have, like, really soothing voices and it’s something that doesn’t require a lot of energy, you know…”

She nervously wringed her hands together. That probably sounded weird… 

The third-year suddenly got up.

“What…” “Wait here for a sec I’ll be right back.” And with a light skip in her step she left the room.

Yachi looked back and forth between the two mugs and wondered what her senpai was up to.

Was she going to call in a teacher? Did she want to send her back home? She wouldn’t blame her. She would probably be useless anyways tomorrow…

Then Shimizu came back inside with… A book?

The confusion must’ve been clear on her face because Shimizu let out a small giggle before retaking her place next to the younger girl.

“I figured you didn’t bring any audiobooks so…” She opened the book. “Let me read to you?”

Yachi was… baffled, perplexed, bewildered and every other word that conveys those emotions.

“You really don’t have to!!” she yelped. “I don’t wanna be a bother! Please just go back to sleep! I can handle it myself!” She waved her hands in front of her frantically.

“Ah! I suddenly feel very sleepy!” She fake-yawned. “I guess I can go back to bed now.”

In a panic she stood up and bowed. She wanted to turn around when she felt someone grasp her wrist 

“Hitoka-chan.”

Just hearing her name snapped Yachi back to reality.

“Please, sit back down.” and she did.

Shimizu shifted her position so her back rested against the table. She pulled Yachi down. The blonde’s head rested on the other girls legs, using her thighs as a pillow.

“Shimizu-senpai…?” Her cheeks heated up and she was sure her senpai could hear her heartbeat.

“Just… try to calm down, close your eyes and listen okay?” The third year’s voice sounded soft.

Yachi looked up and saw Shimizu looking down at her with a fond smile. A hand blocked her view and with a gentle touch the older girl closed the younger’s eyelids.

“Do you know ‘The princess diaries’?” she heard the voice above her ask. 

Yachi shook her head still with her eyes closed.

“Good.” Shimizu sounded satisfied.

After the sound of the rustle of pages and the clearing of a throat, the first words left Shimizu’s mouth.

“Tuesday, september 23. Sometimes it feels like all I ever do is lie. My mom thinks I’m repressing my feelings about this. I say to her, “No mom I’m not. I think it’s really neat. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy…”

And like that Shimizu read to her. It took her a few pages to get into the flow of reading. She stuttered and had to restart her sentences every now and then.

If this was any other audiobook she had listened to she would’ve been annoyed. But somehow the stammering and fumbling added to the charm. It made Shimizu seem less perfect than she thought she was.

And in the end, the girl sounded very soothing.

As the words washed over her, Yachi felt herself relax and melt into Shimizu’s lap. Her heartbeat decreased. The nervous energy faded. The buzzing in her head ebbed away. 

She only had ears for the calming sound of Shimizu’s voice.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when Shimizu stopped reading.

“Hitoka-chan?” she heard her call out, her voice only a whisper.

“Yeah?” Yachi opened her eyes lazily. She was now completely relaxed and even half asleep.

“What time is it?” she mumbled as she sat up, repressing a yawn. She grabbed her phone and read the time: 4h36

Through the window, she could see the courtyard, bathed in the faint light of the rising sun. Shimizu closed the book and got up.

“We should probably head to bed now,” she said. “How are you feeling?”

Yachi yawned and shot her senpai a small smile. “Sleepy.”

The dark-haired girl smiled at the answer. “Good.” 

She lifted her hand and ruffled through her kouhai’s blond locks. Her fingers traveled down to Yachi’s cheek and stayed there for a moment. Yachi let out a content sigh and leaned into the touch, the palm of the hand cool against her skin.

Normally she would’ve never been so bold, but with drowsiness taking over her mind she couldn’t care less.

Shimizu pulled her hand back with a light chuckle and she got rewarded with a pout from the other girl.

“I’m going to put away the mugs first,” she announced. Yachi nodded and drew out an “okaaaayyy.”

A few beats later the third-year came back in and offered the blonde a hand. The latter took it with a grateful smile and pulled herself up on her feet.

Their linked hands swung between them as they made their way back to the classroom. Nothing was said, nothing was muttered. The only sounds audible were their footsteps on the cold, tiled floor and the snoring of the boys.

Yachi’s sleepy mind thought of something she had forgotten to ask just as they passed the room where Karasuno was staying.

She whispered: “Shimizu-senpai?” “Hmm?” Shimizu glanced at the first year.

“Did you know about, eum, Dachi-san and Asahi-san and Suga-san?”

The third year let out a fond puff of air.

“Yes, I know that they’re together. It took them long enough honestly,” and she shook her head.

“So… You don’t think it’s weird?” Yachi’s curiosity took over.

“It’s a little unusual, I must admit,” answered Shimizu with a thoughtful look. “But as long as they’re happy and it works for them, then I’m happy.”

Yachi thought about this.

“They did look happy,” she reasoned with a satisfied smile.

The girls finally arrived at their destination and Shimizu let go of Yachi’s hand. The gesture made Yachi’s heart hurt a little, but not for long.

Her senpai made her way to the futons first and sat down as quiet as possible. After putting the book to the side she gestured to Yachi.

Yachi eyes widened but did what was expected of her. She took a few hesitant steps and sat down next to Shimizu. Just a little too late she saw the mischievous glint in the pair of blue eyes.

With a soft gasp she got dragged down. They both lay on their sides, their faces turned towards each other.

They shared the same futon, they lay one the same pillow and breathed in the same air.

Shimizu let out a big yawn and smiled gently at the other girl. Yachi couldn’t say anything. She was still exhausted and her mind was 

sluggish.

She tried opening her mouth but Shimizu put a finger to her lips.

“Let’s sleep,” she mouthed. Yachi nodded and they both closed their eyes. 

She felt a hand link their fingers once more and she let out a sigh. With Shimizu, she wouldn't have to worry about falling asleep for the rest of the training camp. 

And with that thought in the back of her mind she drifted off for a few hours of peaceful rest, closely nestled to the person she loved.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to know more about HSP's I'll give you some links!  
https://hsperson.com/  
https://highlysensitiverefuge.com/  
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/communication-success/201711/24-signs-highly-sensitive-person  
Also the book "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine N. Aron, Ph.D. has really helped me loads.
> 
> Thanks for reading <3  
Scream at me on tumblr: @artsyyoyo


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